


Day 26: Dark

by Magpie_Crow



Series: Inktober 2019 [26]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Hanahaki Disease, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Italian Mafia, M/M, Mild Blood, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21177140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magpie_Crow/pseuds/Magpie_Crow
Summary: He coughed, and another rosebud fell into the bowl of his sink. Okay, maybe it was a bigger problem than he thought. Virgil hadn’tplannedon falling in love with his boss. In fact, he hadn’t even realized the flowers had taken root until he’d first coughed up a petal after passing his boss in the hall.





	Day 26: Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy.

Virgil Warren had a problem. It wasn’t a _huge_ problem, but a problem all the same. 

He coughed, and another rosebud fell into the bowl of his sink. Okay, maybe it was a bigger problem than he thought. Virgil hadn’t _planned_ on falling in love with his boss. In fact, he hadn’t even realized the flowers had taken root until he’d first coughed up a petal after passing his boss in the hall. 

Could anyone blame him, though? Devin Serpico, the current head of the Serpico Family, was tall, strong, handsome, and powerful. 

It was a problem because rumor had it that the head of the Family already had his ability to fall in love removed surgically, and that’s why he had a chrysanthemum tattooed on half his face. 

Virgil couldn’t afford the fees for surgery on his own, and there was no way he was returning to his own family with his tail between his legs. No, he would die of the flowers taking over his lungs, and no-one would miss him.

He coughed again, and an almost full flower fell from his lips. He had looked up the meaning of blue roses as soon as he had identified them. Impossible or unrequited love. 

Staring at the dark blood on darker petals, that assessment seemed accurate.

~~

Devin preferred to walk all the way to the garage for his car, instead of having someone drive it up to the door for him. It was an abnormal practice, for someone of his rank, in his business, but he enjoyed it either way. 

He was headed out today, anticipating an important meeting to discuss a deal with another, albeit smaller, Family in the area. It wouldn’t do to be late. 

A hacking, choked cough stopped him in his tracks. It was coming from the open door of a bathroom farther down the hall, one that he wouldn’t pass if he continued towards the car. He turned to his aid. “Go and bring the car to the door, I cannot be late.”

The aid nodded and scuttled off.

“Sir?” Devin’s assistant looked confused at the change of plans, but followed when he headed down the hall.

“Just curious, Logan. It won’t be a moment.”

The coughing continued, and Devin had a vague memory of his mother, stooped over a toilet bowl, with yellow flowers falling from her lips. 

Instead of his mother, he found a young man, staring at the large rose in his hands. 

“Have you told them?”

The man looked up, startled, and tried to hide the flower behind his back. “N-no! Uh. They. They already- uh. Had theirs removed. Uh. Boss. Sir. Mr. Serpico.”

This guy was interesting. Maybe even a little amusing. “Alright. Logan?”

“Sir.”

“Arrange for the Family doctor to assist him. If that’s what you want?” He addressed the second half to the man, who was staring at him in shock. 

The shock didn’t last long. “Yes! Please. I- I can’t afford it, right now- but I’ll pay you back!”

“No mind, you’re one of us and you get treated as such. Let’s go, Logan.” Devin turned and headed back the way he was supposed to go.

Only a few steps and the entire building was rocked by an explosion outside. Devin started running.

~~

“Logan.”

“Sir?”

“What can you tell me about that man who delayed us the other day?”

Logan tapped his tablet a few times, probably bringing up the full dossier on the young man. “Virgil Warren, twenty-two.”

“Why does the name sound familiar?”

“I was getting there. He is the youngest son of Ophelia and Markus Warren, multi-millionaires in the oil industry. According to our connections, they expelled him from the house on an  
accusation of homosexuality.”

“Bigots. Go on.”

Logan cleared his throat. “He is now living in a run-down apartment on 31st Street, most likely paid for with the money he makes working here as an errand-runner.” 

“And how was the procedure?”

“It went well. The doctor believes he will be recovered enough to return to work in three days.”

Devin nodded, and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Logan?”

“Sir?”

“Didn’t Virgil technically save my life?”

“Seeing as he delayed you so that you were not in your car when the engine was started, the trigger to the bomb under the back seat, yes. You also technically saved his life by paying for the operation.”

“Yes, but I’m the head of a Family and he’s an errand boy.”

“That is correct. Forgive me, but I do not think I am following.”

“I need to pay him back for saving my life. Promote him to bodyguard, give him a suite in the main house. Close to mine.”

Logan sighed, and it sounded very put-upon indeed. “Yes, sir.”

Devin was pleased with himself. He had saved a life, and now he was going to have a possibly influential ally in the future. 

He was also comically bad at making friends without throwing money at them.

~~

Devin had a problem. It wasn’t a big problem. Not compared to other problems he had absolutely encountered in his life. 

It was just that he was in love.

He knew what happened when people fell in love, and the other person didn’t love them back. He’d known it ever since his father had caught his mother coughing up flowers for someone else. 

Devin had never seen his mother again, and his father had taken him to get a flower tattoo on his face to remind him to never fall in love. 

At least it grew with him. Maybe that’s just what happened when you got tattoos before puberty. 

But Virgil- Smart Virgil, with his dry humor and quick smirk, was definitely worth falling in love with. He had fought his promotion a little, but Devin had convinced him to take it. At least, it was mostly Devin, and not entirely the memory-foam mattress and high thread count sheets. Or the three meals a day.

Were any of his other errand boys living like that? He ought to ask Logan.

Virgil was a delight to have around, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was absolutely ripped under his ever-present hoodie. Nothing at all. 

He was smart and bright-eyed and kept up with Logan better than anyone else Devin knew. 

Devin didn’t want to have surgery, but the ever-present tickle in the back of his throat and the minutes spent dry-heaving flowers into his sink told him he would have to. Virgil couldn’t fall in love again. 

So maybe it was a bigger problem than he thought. 

~~

“Sir.”

“Yes, Logan?”

Logan shuffled, and Devin looked up at him. “If you go out today, take extra guards with you. Markus and Ophelia Warren were recently involved in a fatal accident that does not seem as accidental as the authorities say. Their two older sons, Remington and Nathaniel Warren, were found dead in the bay this morning. Gunshot wounds to the head.”

Devin stood and headed to the window, where he could see Virgil stretching in the courtyard. “Does Virgil know?”

“Not as far as I am aware, sir.”

“I’ll take the extra guards, but let them know to keep their distance.”

“You are still trying to seduce him?”

“No! Not seduce. Just. Interest him. He’s cute, I’m powerful, it’s a good combination.”

Logan sighed. “I would wish you luck if I believed in it, sir.”

~~

Everything happened so fast. They were out for the day, taking a walk down Main Street. Virgil knew there were other bodyguards with them, but for some reason they were keeping their distance. Mr. Serpico was wandering around with him like an enthusiastic teenager. 

Not that Virgil would voice that thought aloud to his boss. 

Then there was a man dressed in dark clothing, and a gun flashing through the air. “Die, Warren!”

Mr. Serpico shoved Virgil out of the way, taking the bullet meant for him and falling to the ground.

“Sir!” Virgil was kneeling at his side in moments, noting out of the corner of his eye that the other guards were apprehending the man. 

“S-sorry, Virge. Didn’t think- they’d try in public.” Mr. Serpico started to cough, and Virgil tried to calm him down. “Lemme… Sit up. Gotta- gotta cough it out.”

The only thing Virgil could do was help his boss into a sitting position, watching helplessly as he coughed out blood. 

He stared at the dark blood, coating darker petals. 

“Blue- blue roses mean- impossibility.” Mr. Serpico’s eyes began to slip closed.

“No! Sir, stay awake. Help is on its way. Stay awake! SIR!”

~~

He wanted the beeping to _stop_. What was the point of being a crime lord if there was always beeping? What was with the beeping? 

He groaned and tried to open his eyes. Oops, no, no, too bright. Ouch. 

“Sir.”

“G’way, Lo.” Why was his voice so scratchy?

“Good to know you are alive, sir. The surgeons removed the bullet, and took the opportunity to remove your flowers as well. Were you going to tell me about them any time soon, sir?”

“S’too loud.”

Logan sighed. Logan was sighing a lot, these days. Devin would wonder if it had something to do with him later. When things weren’t too bright or too loud. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living, I suppose. Virgil resigned. He went to take over his family fortune after the death of the other heirs.” There was a pause, like Logan was thinking about something. “He asked me to give you a message, if you are up to hearing it.”

“Fine.” If Logan wasn’t going to fix the beeping, Devin might as well hear him out. 

He wondered a little why he felt so weird about hearing that Virgil left. 

“He said to tell you ‘maybe we could change the meaning to possibility’. I do not know what he meant by that.”

A slow smile crept across Devin’s face. 

“S’okay. I do.”

Who said you needed to have flowers to be able to love?

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be all angsty (Devin was going to die. They were gonna kiss, but it would have been as Devin was dying.) Then my best friend said "Is Devin you?" and I realized that yes, Devin is essentially me. I also throw money at people as a way of making friends.  
And I don't really want to die, so. Devin lived. 
> 
> Google says blue roses represent impossible love or unrequited love. My favorite manga says they represent possibility. This is the result. (plus i realized it would be an interesting challenge to write hanahaki, lol.)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I set up a Discord server! <https://discord.gg/gtWgvQ4>  
Join me to talk about my writing and stuff!
> 
> Find more on tumblr @we-are-fam-ily


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